In medicine, what should I pay attention to when decocting Chinese medicine?

The choice of decoction utensils.

The first thing you need to pay attention to when decocting Chinese medicine is the choice of decoction utensils. Among the many boiling utensils, the most suitable for decoction is casserole or ceramic utensils, because the composition of such utensils is relatively stable and not easy to chemically react with the decoction of Chinese medicine, and at the same time, this kind of pot is more compact, and the soup is thicker. It is most forbidden to use copper pots, iron pots and the like.

This type of utensils can easily react with certain ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, so be sure to ban it!

Soak before decoction.

When decocting the medicine, it is not necessary to pour all the Chinese medicine into the pot and start boiling the medicine. Under normal circumstances, Chinese medicine should be soaked for about 10-30 minutes before starting to decoction, so that the Chinese medicine can better exert its medicinal effect during the decoction process.

The amount of decoction at temperature.

Usually, the amount of general medicinal materials added is controlled at about one inch of the submerged medicinal surface, because the amount of water directly affects the quality of the decoction, so it must be paid attention to. In addition, some medicinal materials with better water absorption usually have more water, while the water volume of medicinal materials with small water absorption such as shells and ores can be slightly less.

Decoction time. The time of decoction varies according to the characteristics of different Chinese medicines. Generally, the herbs can be boiled for about 20-30 minutes after each boil.

Antidote, heat-clearing medicine, aromatic herbs, it is best to fry in a hurry, 10-15 minutes after boiling, and it is best to decoction for a long time after boiling, and it is better to decoction about 30-40 minutes after boiling.

Decoction pot lid problem.

Be sure to cover the pot with a lid when decocting the medicine. First, covering the pot can make the Chinese medicine better exert its medicinal effect during the decoction process, and second, covering the pot for some volatile Chinese medicine can prevent the volatilization of the medicinal effect of the Chinese medicine. Thirdly, cover the pot to make the soup thicker.

Note that some poisonous herbs can be opened first during the decoction process, and then covered when the toxic herbs are almost volatilized and then boiled with other herbs. In addition, if you are afraid that the pot will be fried with the lid of the pot, you can use chopsticks to lift the lid of the pot, which is not easy to paste the pot and can give full play to the medicinal effect.

Traditional Chinese medicine is a way of treating diseases that has been handed down since ancient times, but all friends who trust Chinese medicine, if there is any discomfort or illness in the body, they like to boil Chinese medicine to regulate, but when boiling Chinese medicine, people only value the medicinal properties of Chinese medicine, but ignore the wrong way when boiling Chinese medicine, which will affect the efficacy of the medicine.

What you need to know about decoction of Chinese medicine.

Don't touch the medicine with your hands: On weekdays, everyone often touches the medicine with their hands when decocting Chinese medicine, in fact, this is a detail that many friends are easy to ignore. Most of the Chinese medicines bought back are wrapped in paper, and some are small packages made of plastic bags.

When putting the medicine into the decoction container, many people's hands will touch the Chinese medicine, but they don't know that this action will sometimes affect the efficacy of the Chinese medicine, if the hand cream or the aromatic smell of soap has been applied to the hand at this time, it is a kind of pollution of the Chinese medicine. Therefore, it is best not to touch the Chinese medicine with your hands, and you should pour it directly into the container.

Don't use an iron pot: Many people think that as long as you buy a decoction of Chinese medicine, you can play a medicinal effect, but this is not able to give full play to the medicinal effect of Chinese herbal medicines.

The decoction container is best in a casserole and clay pot; glass containers, enamel containers (intact) are second; Iron, copper, aluminum, and tin pots cannot be used to decoction medicines. "This is because the chemical composition of traditional Chinese medicine is very complex, and due to the reactive chemical properties of metals such as copper, iron and aluminum, it is easy to react with the chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine.

For example, iron is easy to form iron tannins with tannin, which deepens the color of the liquid medicine, and makes the liquid medicine have a rusty smell, which affects the efficacy of the medicine; Aluminum reacts with organic acids to form compounds that are absorbed by the human body and accumulate in liver, kidney and other tissues, causing damage to the human body; Copper is easy to oxidize when heated, and produces patina that is harmful to the human body. These will affect the quality of the decoction, which is directly related to the clinical efficacy of the decoction.

Use distilled water: The efficacy of Chinese medicine is affected by many factors, and it is also necessary to pay attention to what kind of water is used for cooking, and different water quality has a great impact on the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines. For example, Li Shizhen divided the decoction water into five kinds, such as rainwater, dew, snow water, etc., which are all natural distilled water, which is less harder than ordinary spring water, river water and well water, and is purer, which can minimize the impact on the active ingredients of the drug.

The best water for decoction of Chinese medicine is distilled water, although this may seem a bit troublesome, but only in this way can it exert the best effect and help the patient recover as soon as possible. Although we can't pursue water quality like the ancients, if conditions allow, we can use distilled or purified water, which can also be cooled and boiled. Tap water can be heated to remove chlorine, but you can't use hot water or boiling water to decoction directly, and you can only let it cool.

At the same time, there are some special Chinese herbs that have other requirements when decoction.

The drugs that should be decocted first are mainly mineral shellfish, as well as foot nail drugs, their texture is relatively tight, the active ingredients are not easy to decoction, and there is a kind of toxic drugs, in order to use safe wild fish first decoction, such as raw stone cassia, raw mother-of-pearl, raw cold water stone, raw tortoise shell, raw turtle shell, raw oyster, raw keel, raw dragon tooth, talc and other drugs should be fried first.

There are also toxic drugs, such as Chuanwucao, black aconite, tripterygium wilfordii, etc. The method of decoction is to decoction the medicine first, boil for 10 to 20 minutes, and then add the group medicine to decoction together. For another example, ephedra must be fried three or two to boil to remove the foam on the water, and then decoction with other medicines to avoid annoyance after taking it.

Some mineral medicines and shellfish medicines, due to their hard texture, are not easy to fry the active ingredients, so they should be broken and fried first, such as raw gypsum, keel, oysters, magnets, ochre, etc. For some toxic drugs, in order to reduce toxicity, they should be decocted first or for a long time, such as aconite, aconite, black clown, etc. Ephedra must be fried three or two boils, swept away the foam on the water, and then decocted with other medicines, which is to avoid annoyance after taking it.

The main active ingredients are insoluble in water, some gold, minerals, shells, crushed, decoction, boil for 20 to 30 minutes. Such as magnets, ochre, keel, oysters, mother-of-pearl, stone cassia, tortoise shell, turtle carapace, etc. In addition, aconite, aconitum and other poisonous drugs should be decocted for 45 to 60 minutes.

Generally, animal bones or minerals, rhizomes, and poisonous species should be fried first or for a long time.

It is generally animal bones or minerals, such as keels, oysters, etc.

If it is a Chinese herb, it is generally tormented.

1. Soak before decoction.

Generally, cold water is added to spread over the medicinal surface, soaked and then decocted, so that the active ingredients are easy to decoction. Generally, it can be soaked for about 30 minutes, but it should also be treated separately according to the weight of the texture of the herb itself, the difference in season and temperature. Flowers, grasses, and leaves can be soaked for 20 minutes; Rhizomes, seeds, fruits, ores, and crustaceans should be soaked for 30 to 60 minutes.

In short, the soaking of medicinal materials shall prevail.

Second, the choice of decoction utensils.

The decoction container is very closely related to the quality of the liquid medicine, and historical records believe that "silver is the first, and the magnetic is second", and it is not recommended to use tin, iron and other pots for decoction. Because some drugs will precipitate after encountering metals such as tin and iron, reduce solubility, and even cause chemical changes, resulting in ***. At present, it is mostly advocated to use ceramics and clay pots instead of iron pots and copper pots, and it is best not to use aluminum pots and stainless steel and enamel containers to decoction to ensure the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.

3. The choice of decoction water.

Water is the most commonly used solvent for decoction of Chinese medicine, and it is generally advisable to use clean cold water, such as tap water, well water, distilled water, etc. The amount of water used should be determined according to the weight, volume, water absorption capacity, decoction time, heat and required dosage of the drug, and it is generally advisable to overflow the drug by about half an inch. The amount of water used for decoction should be added at one time, not to add water several times in the middle, and then add water to decoction after the decoction is dry, and the decoction should be discarded.

Fourth, the heat of the decoction.

There are "martial fires" and "simmers" in decoction of traditional Chinese medicine, "martial fire" for rapid frying, and "simmering" for slow frying. Generally, martial arts are used first, that is, high heat is used at the beginning, and then simmering is used after boiling. Different recipes require different decoction times.

The decoction time of diaphoretic antidote for external symptoms should be short, and the decoction time of tonic drugs for deficiency syndrome should be long.

There are the following precautions for decoction of Chinese medicine:

1. The best choice of decoction utensils is crockpots and casseroles, followed by enamel and stainless steel utensils, and iron and copper utensils can not be used to decoction;

2. Do not wash the medicine before decoction, because the active ingredients of some Chinese medicine decoction pieces are water-soluble, they will be lost with cleaning, and some medicines are in powder form, which will also be lost during the cleaning process, which will affect the efficacy;

3. Before decoction, after the decoction pieces are properly pressurized, the liquid surface should be submerged about 3cm over the decoction pieces, and soaked for about 30 minutes, which can make the active ingredients easy to decoction;

4. Decoction of Chinese medicine

A lot. The first is to soak the medicine, first soak and then decoction. There is also the order in which the drug is administered.

Some medicines are not easy to smell and should be taken first, such as gypsum and tortoise shell. Some can't be fried for a long time, such as mint, which should be lowered later. Finally, there is time, first bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer.

The time should not be too long.

You can choose an aluminum pot or casserole to cook the decoction, which usually does not affect the efficacy of the medicine, and it is necessary to avoid the phenomenon of sticking to the pot when boiling the medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine cannot be used in an iron pot during decoction, so as not to have a chemical reaction with the drug, and in severe cases, it will also lead to poisoning, so this must be avoided. Generally, you can choose an aluminum pot or casserole to cook the decoction, which usually does not affect the efficacy of the medicine, and it is necessary to avoid the phenomenon of pasting the pot when boiling the medicine.

Content from user: Tang Yuqiu7

Although there are many dosage forms of traditional Chinese medicine, they are mainly prepared by pharmaceutical companies and hospital preparation rooms, and the decoction is mostly cooked by the patients themselves, and if the decoction is not regular, it will affect the efficacy and drug safety.

Different diseases and different groups of people have special requirements for decoctions, especially some prescriptions have stricter requirements for decoctions. Here I will mainly introduce to you the decoction method under normal circumstances, please follow the doctor's instructions in special cases.

1. General decoction method.

1.Decoction utensils It is advisable to use ceramic utensils such as casseroles and casseroles that are not easy to chemically react with the ingredients of the decoction, and have uniform heat conductivity and good warmth performance. Do not use iron, aluminum, copper and other metal utensils for decoction.

Because metals are easy to react with traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, it may reduce the efficacy and even produce toxicity.

2.The amount of water used in decoction When decocting Chinese medicine, the amount of water added to the decoction should include the amount of water absorbed by the decoction piece, the amount of evaporation during the decoction process and the amount of medicine required after decoction. The amount of water added to the second decoction should be subtracted from the water absorption of the decoction pieces.

Usually, the amount of water added can only be estimated according to the density of the texture of the decoction pieces, the strength of the water absorption performance, and the length of time required for frontal imitation and decoction. The general feasible practice is that after the decoction pieces are properly pressurized for the first decoction, the liquid level should be higher than the decoction pieces, and the water surface of the second and third decoctions can not exceed the medicinal materials.

3.Soaking before decoction Before decoction, the decoction pieces should be properly soaked in cold water, which is not only conducive to the dissolution of the active ingredients, but also shortens the decoction time, so as to avoid the loss or destruction of the effective ingredients due to the decoction time being too long. If the decoction pieces are directly decocted without soaking, the starch and protein on the surface of the decoction pieces will swell, blocking the capillaries, making it difficult for moisture to enter the inside of the decoction pieces, and it is also difficult for the active ingredients of the decoction pieces to diffuse outward.

Generally, medicines should be soaked in cold water, and some medicines need to be taken at a specific time. For example, malarial interception drugs should be taken before the onset of malaria There is a certain scientific reason for taking the drug and avoiding the mouth, which is also a summary of long-term clinical experience. In order to.

There is an article:

Preparation before decoction.

1. Soak the Chinese medicine for 20-30 minutes.

Soak the Chinese medicine for a period of time, so that the medicine can better absorb water, so that the decoction of Weiyou decoction has a better therapeutic effect. It is best to choose cold water for the water soaked in the herbs, because if the water temperature is too high, the starch in the herbs will gelatinize and the protein will coagulate, so that the active ingredients of the drug will not be dissolved during decoction. In addition, do not rinse the herbs with water, many people think that the herbs should be washed first so that they feel, in fact, this washing will make the active ingredients of the herbs lose and reduce the efficacy, especially the herbs that have been ground into powder should not be washed.

2. The decoction utensils are exquisite.

If you want to decoction Chinese medicine, the choice of utensils is also very important, and good utensils can better dissolve the active ingredients of Chinese medicine. It is best to choose casseroles, enamels, clay pots, and glassware for decoction of Chinese medicine, and do not use aluminum, copper, and iron utensils.

3. Wrap the herbs in cotton cloth.

If you need to make the herbs into a medicine pack, it is best to choose cotton gauze to wrap the herbs, which is done to make the herbs easily soluble in water.

4. Decoction with cold boiled water.

It is best not to use tap water for decoction of Chinese medicine, because tap water contains chlorine, which will destroy the active ingredients of Chinese medicine, and after the tap water is boiled, the chlorine will volatilize, which can reduce the probability of loss of the active ingredients of Chinese medicine.

Precautions in decoction.

1. The amount of water.

For decoction of traditional Chinese medicine, the water should be 3 cm to 5 cm higher than the surface of the medicinal materials, and the amount of different decoctions should be more prescribed by the doctor, and do not add water at will when decocting Chinese medicine.

2. Cooking time.

Some people think that the longer the decoction of Chinese medicine, the stronger the decoction of Chinese medicine, the better, but this is wrong. The decoction of traditional Chinese medicine reaches the highest value of the active ingredient of the liquid medicine for a certain period of time, and if it is constantly decocted, it will cause the active ingredient to evaporate continuously and decrease, reducing the efficacy of the medicine. Excessive medicinal decoction can also cause nausea, vomiting and other adverse reactions after taking it, so the decoction time should not be too long.

3. Martial arts before literature.

The advantage of using simmering is that it can reduce the evaporation of water, and it can maintain a boiling state, which is conducive to the dissolution of the active ingredients of the drug.

4. Stir frequently when decocting the medicine.

The decoction is not the herbs put in the pot to burn, the decoction process of the medicine often observe the decoction, to stir frequently, to avoid boiling the Chinese medicine paste or decoction.